The Use of Binary Opposition in Novel Kentoushi

Abstract

Japanese literature that introduces the concept of dystopia has become popular and has increasingly been mentioned nowadays. The novel Kentoushi, written by Tawada Yoko, is a dystopian novel that portrays Tokyo as degraded, complicated and impoverished city due to the threat of the atomic bomb. This dystopian vision of the future of Tokyo is created through the main elements of the story such as the characters and settings. This research aims to explore how Tawada Yoko uses binary opposition to present the concept of dystopia. and to examine how the concept of dystopia illustrates the problems that exist in contemporary Japanese society. From the study, it was found that Tawada Yoko uses binary opposition, such as old people - children and young people, women - men, central city - marginal city, developing country - developed country, to present Japan's dystopian future with a shift of power and a shift from traditional relationships between the pairs. This concept of dystopia illustrates the current social issues, namely the issue of aging society and the dangers of scientific advancement.